Glass flattening and annealing apparatus.



N0. 694,7". Patented Mar. 4, I902.

J. A. ANDERSON 8L C. M. HDLLINGSWUBTH.

GLASS FLATTENING AND ANNEALING APPARATUS.

V I (Application filed Jan. 21, 1901.; (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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N0. 694.7". Patented Mar. 4, I902. J. A. ANDERSON 8| 0. M.HULLINGSWURTH.

GLASS FLATTENING AND ANNEALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 21. 1901.1

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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LEEIEIEJEIEEICIE WITNESSES." O/M/W/ No. 694,711. Patented Mar. 4, i902.J. A. ANDERSON & c. m. HOLLINGSWORTH.

GLASS FtATTENING AND ANNEALING APPARATUS- (Application filed Jan.21,1901.

(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT" OF ICE.

' ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-TH none CITY, INDIANA.

IRD TO JOHN R. JOHNSTON, OF HART- GLASS FLATTENING AN D. ANNEALIN QAPPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 694,711, dated March4, 1902.

Application filed January 21, 1901. Serial No. 44,130. (No model.)

we do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying draw--ings, in which like figures refer to like parts. The general object of.this invention is to provide a novel means for flattening and annealingplate or sheet glass.

An annealing-furnace is arranged in the arc of a circle with an endlessconveyor movable through it and a series of glass-flattening tables orstones mounted on the conveyor. The invention consists in combining withthe foregoing means for flattening the glass on the said tables orstones as or immediately before they enter the furnace. A valuable meansfor flattening is permitted by this arrangement, consisting of arollerimmediately underwhich the cou-veyer and series of flattening-stonespass and which is driven by the same means that drives the conveyer.

The object of this invention is to provide a a rapidly-operating glassflattening and annealin g apparatus where the glass when tooled isbrought back to the starting-point and there can be removed,-'thuslimiting the operation of said apparatus to one point. It is apracticalcombination of means for both flattenmg and annealing the glass insteadof having such means separated, as heretofore. There fore the flatteningapparatus can be placed immediately adjacent the annealing-furnace, sothat the glass passes immediately from the flattener into the furnace orcan be flattened in the first chamber of the furnace. One of the mostvaluable advantages of this arrangement is that the glass doesnot haveto be handled during the annealing or be moved from the flattener to anindependent annealing part of the apparatus. N 0 loss of glass thereforeensues due to handling the same, as has heretofore been experienced inother apparatus. Likewise a uniformly smooth thickness of. glass can beprovided with the combination of a roller and stone so arranged that theglass passes immediately from the roller intothe furnace. These and theother features of our invent-ion will more fully appear from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

7 In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of our glass flattening andannealing apparatus. Fig. 2 .is a central longitudinal vertical sectionon the line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section-onthe line B B of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on theline C O of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of a, modified formand arrangement of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on'theline D D of Fig. 5.

In detail we make a furnace 1, of brick, stone, or any suitablematerial, arranged in the arc of a circle that brings the ends close,together, but not meeting, and in this annular furnace an endlessconveyer 2, iron or any suitable material, is provided.

Said conveyer is secured to the upper edges of a pair of angle-bars 3,made of iron, whose lower edges rest upon aninner and outer series ofmetal rollers 4, carried in the bearings 5, secured to the base 6 of thefurnace, that extends throughout the circle, said base being made ofbrick, stone, or any suitable material. Said angle-barsarestriengthened'by the metal braces 7. The conveyor is substantially ofthe same Width as the furnace, so as to leave a space below and a spaceabove. Upon said conveyer at suitable'intervals flattening tables orstones 8 are seen red and held in place by the vertical upturned sidesof the conveyer, as shown.

The furnace is divided into a series of ovens or heating-chambers by thedepending mantels or partitions 9, having on their lower transverseedges the air-boxes 10, immediately beneath which the conveyor passes.Only aportion of the furnace is divided thus into ovens, while theremaining portion forms only one continuous chamber, called acooling-chamber, and for which no heating apparatus is provided. Theother chambers or ovens are heated by natural-gas pipes 11, entering thetop of each oven centrally and leading from the gas-supply pipe 12 andcontrolled by the valves 13, whereby each oven has anindependenlily-controllable means for regulating its temperature. Theheat from said pipes 11 is turned directly down upon the glass, and thepartitions so closely approach the conveyer that the heat of each ovenis retained within itself. Likewise the heat is kept above the conveyer,so that the chamber below the conveyer is comparatively cool and is infact kept cool by the openings let to the outside.

In the form shown in the first four figures the flattening is done bythe roller 20, whose spindle 21 is carried in the bearing-posts 22,secured to the base 6. It is driven by the sprocket-chain 23, runningfrom a sprocketwheel on the end of the spindle 21 to a sprocketwheel onthe driving-shaft 24:, which is mounted in one of the posts 22. Saiddriving-shaft 2-1 is driven from a suitable source of power through thepulley 25, and it not only rotates theroller 20, but also actuates theconveyer by means of a pinion 26,meshing with a rack 27 on the underside of the conveyer. By driving the roller and conveyer with a commonmeans they can be made to move at the same speed, which is desirable inflattening glass.

A modified arrangement is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, where a similarfurnace is provided with longer flattening tables or stones and meansfor bringing the sheet of glass to the annealing-furnace and flatteningtables or stones. This means consists of an extension 30 from thefurnace, leading from the first oven in the series and having apassage-way 31 in it, on the floor of which there are a pair of rails 32to form a track upon which the sheet of glass 33 is pushed from theoutside into the furnace, as shown in Fig. 6. The track 32 is directlybeside or parallel with the flattening table'or stone, and a workmanwith a tool lifts the curled sheet of glass 33 from the track 32 uponthe flattening table or stone beside it, uponwhich the sheet of glass isgradually flattened as it becomes heated, and then as the conveyer movesit is carried into another oven and on through the annealingfurnace.With natural gas as fuel no chimney is used. Said Fig. 6 merely showshow an old form of introducing the glass is used with our annealing-ovenand does not showthe partitions between the ovens or the curvature ofthe top of the oven therein shown for the sake of avoiding confusion byreason of the drawing or shading that would be necessary to bring outthese features of the construction, which are shown fully in the'otherfigures.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination of an annealing-furnace, a conveyer passingtherethrough with flattening tables or stones on it, and a rollermounted immediately over the conveyer whereby the glass is pressed andflattened as it passes under the roller.

2. The combination of an annealing-furnace, a conveyer passingtherethrough with flattening tables or stones on it, and a pair ofbearing-posts extending up at each side of said conveyer, and a rollermounted in said bearing-posts immediately over the conveyer, whereby theglass will be pressed and flattened as it passes under the roller.

3. The combination of an annealing-furnace, a conveyer passingtherethrough with flattening tables or stones on it, and a rollermounted immediately above the con veyer whereby the glass will bepressed and fiattened as it passes beneath the roller, and means fordriving the conveyer and roller at the same surface speed.

In witness whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures in thepresence of the witnesses herein named.

JAMES A. ANDERSON. CLARENCE M. IIOLLINGSWOR'IH. Witnesses as toAnderson: LAURA HITT, V. H. LOCKWOOD. Witnesses as to Hollingsworth:

GEORGE J. GLEIM, J. H. IMME.

